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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — for catching
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fork — in a road
  11. net — after costs
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — letters
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com